Stop flea market sales of assault rifles | Friday's letters

Support builds for 'red flag' laws | Aug. 8

Stop flea market assault rifle sales

I visit a flea market in Homosassa. It has a row of stalls dedicated to selling and buying all kinds of guns, including AK 47-style assault weapons, magazine add-ons, ammo, etc. No background check necessary; the only requirement is to pay with cash. There is no record keeping. The guns are considered to be part of "private" collections. How many other flea markets and consignment shops are doing the same?

We don't need to wait for the Legislature to change or add gun laws for this. We just need to expose this situation. Stopping this practice would immediately halt an easy avenue of access to guns on the street. If we can't correct this, we are wasting our time. I am a Republican and support President Donald Trump. I am white, college-educated, now retired, and I don't sanction white supremacy. I love America. This idea isn't political. It's just common sense and a start.

Tony Leotta, Tarpon Springs

Agents raid Miss. plants, arrest 680 | Aug. 8

Penalize the companies, too

The mass arrests in Mississippi of undocumented workers begs the question: What are the penalties for those companies that hired illegal workers? It must be a crime to profit from using illegal, low-cost workers. If employers screened potential hires maybe we'd have a lot fewer undocumented people in America.

Karl Olander, Indian Shores

Ross Spano complains that climate deniers like him are unfairly labeled as 'idiots' | Aug. 7

Listen to your constituents

As a concerned Florida citizen, a fellow for Our Climate and one of the "young ladies" Rep. Ross Spano referenced in his recent interview, I feel compelled to respond. He said he does not believe that there's enough evidence to support human-caused climate change, but later goes on to say that he doesn't care to hear that a vast majority of scientists agree that there is sufficient evidence to support just that. If he doesn't want to hear from scientists, then perhaps he will want to hear what the majority of his constituents believe. According to a 2016 Yale study, 69 percent of citizens in Florida District 15 believe that climate change is happening. Floridians have experienced annual record-breaking hurricanes, sea level rise threatening our coastal residents and drinking water supply, and declines in citrus crop production. The science behind anthropogenic climate change is overwhelming and undeniable, and I hope that on behalf of what his constituents believe, Spano will open his mind. In the meantime, Our Climate will continue working on a national movement mobilizing young people to educate the public and elected officials about science-based climate policy solutions.

Sarah Mahan, Land O' Lakes

MacDill ferry is a fairy tale | Editorial, Aug. 7

A ferry service, not a fairy tale

We need a public ferry to give us transit options besides our vehicles to get back and forth between Tampa and St. Petersburg. What we have now is a proposal for a military shuttle and snowbird pleasure cruise paid for with scarce public transit money. What happened? I support the military, but I also know that military budgets have been increased so there must be money for a ferry service. If the original plans to develop commuter public ferry service across Tampa Bay are restored, by all means use public transit funds. If not, don't expect us taxpayers to pay.

Ivylyn Harrell, St. Petersburg